Zappala may also want to avoid conversations about why the population of Allegheny County Jail is 60% Black, even as the population of Allegheny County is only 13.4% Black. Zappala has made assurances that he is committed to reducing the use of cash bail and pretrial detention, yet his solutions consistently miss the mark. Zappala is nervous that he will have to defend the fact that 81% of the population of Allegheny County Jail has not been convicted of any crime. Zappala still has no answer for why his office didn’t call a use of force expert in the murder trial of Officer Michael Rosfeld, who was ultimately acquitted in the killing of Antwon Rose II. Zappala has such antipathy for engaging with his constituents. Zappala has made clear that he has no intention of doing so. Middleman has confirmed that she will attend the forum. The group leading the organization of this forum? The League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh.Īlongside Pittsburgh UNITED, the Black Political Empowerment Project, and the ACLU of Pennsylvania, each candidate was given ample time to consider the invitation to meet with voters. Zappala facing another challenger, Lisa Middleman, the ACLU of Pennsylvania has again teamed up with community groups to host a candidate forum and give the public a chance to hear from both Mr. Six months later, with Election Day less than a month away and with Mr. Zappala went on to say that he would only be interested in debating his challenger in a “legitimate forum,” like one organized by the League of Women Voters. Zappala did not.Īsked by local media why he did not attend the forum and meet with voters, Zappala singled out the ACLU of Pennsylvania, saying, “I’m not interested in talking politics with the ACLU or socialists.” Mr. Jenkins to share their respective visions for how best to reform criminal law in Allegheny County, from the use of cash bail to prosecuting police violence to making the DA’s office more transparent to the public. In the weeks leading up to Allegheny County’s municipal primary elections in May, the ACLU of Pennsylvania partnered with a number of community groups for a candidate forum intended to give the public an opportunity to hear from District Attorney Stephen Zappala and challenger Turahn Jenkins.
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